'I'm ready not to go back': Los Angeles educational worker strike ends with no deal

Record ID: 1717128

  • Title: 'I'm ready not to go back': Los Angeles educational worker strike ends with no deal
  • Date: 24th March 2023
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 23, 2023) (REUTERS) HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AT A RALLY ORGANIZED BY SERVICE EMPLOYEES UNION SEIU SEIU SPEAKER ADDRESSING THE CROWD CROWD APPLAUDING CROWD WITH SIGNS READING (English): ‘FIGHT FOR FARE WAGES’ (SOUNDBITE) (English) TIFFANY BARBA, MIRALOMA, SPECIAL ED ASSISTANT, SAYING: “You know I was thinking about that today and I was thinking about like, we're going to go back to work tomorrow after this, but I'm ready not to go back if we're going to keep having to fight, then I'm willing to do that. We're three days in and I'm willing to do some more days if we have to.” PICKET SIGN OF SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ALBERTO CARVALHO CROWD STAGE SPEAKER RALLY ATTENDEE BLOWING HORN PROTESTERS CHANTING ‘SI SE PUEDE’ (WE CAN DO IT) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANASTASIA GONZALEZ, LOS ANGELES TEACHER, SAYING: “We need fully staffed schools. At our school, we had no TAs (teaching assistants) from the beginning of the school year. We're short on custodial staff, and that's every school. We're short on subs. We're short on teachers. And the reason we're short on staff is because we're not getting paid enough. They're not getting the respect, so when we're asking for people to come and get $25,000 a year, that's not enough.” PEOPLE RALLYING ON LA HISTORIC STATE PARK BRIDGE VARIOUS OF CROWD (SOUNDBITE) (English) LILIANA CORTEZ, LOS ANGELES, TEACHER, SAYING: “So, you know, we're facing housing insecurity, we're facing eviction, you know, you know, food insecurity. A lot of our workers are also LAUSD parents so their kids are LAUSD students. So it really impacts the entire district and really, it's not too much to ask for our workers, our educational workers to make more than In-N-Out (a hamburger chain).” PICKET SIGN SAYING ‘FIGHT FOR CLEAN, SAFE, AND SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS’ VARIOUS OF RALLY CROWD CHANTING RALLY ATTENDEE HOLDING SIGN READING ‘WE FEED OUR STUDENTS, RESPECT US! PAY US!’ CROWD SIGN ‘HEY CARVALHO GET UP AND DO SOMETHING’ VARIOUS CROWD SHOTS CHILDREN IN THE CROWD HOLDING ‘WE LOVE OUR TEACHERS’ SIGNS CROWD SINGING ‘CARVALHO GOODBYE’ (SOUNDBITE) (English) ORASIO MORALES, LOS ANGELES, SEIU99 SHOP STEWARD, SAYING: “Sometimes when you're when you have things going on, mediation or what not, that's been going on, it takes a little time. It's a long process. We don't want to sign something, at least this is my take, that we might regret later. You know, sometimes they put stuff on paper and you're so excited to sign it and then you get a resolution at the end, three or four years, like, why did I sign that? So in my take, it's better to take our time on it and get it done right the first time.” CROWD CHEERING AND BLOWING THE WHISTLE POSTER SIGN ‘WE KEEP SCHOOLS SAFE, RESPECT US’ WIDE SHOT OF THE CROWD POSTER SIGN READING ‘THE LAST STRAW’ WIDE SHOT OF THE CROWD CHANTING VARIOUS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER EDLYN TAKAHASHI (SOUNDBITE) (English) EDLYN TAKAHASHI, LOS ANGELES, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER, SAYING: “I'm hoping that it creates respect for everyone in the education field, not just the teachers, but also for the people that work at our school, because we're the people you trust when you drop off your children every day. Each one of us needs to be qualified to keep children safe and feel loved. You know, this is our home away from home. It's not just all about education, it's about taking care of the child today and for the future.” CROWD SIGN READING ‘OMG THEY KILLED EDUCATION FUNDING’ HIGH SHOT OF THE RALLY CROWD
  • Embargoed: 7th April 2023 02:42
  • Keywords: EDUCATION LAUSD LOS ANGELES RALLY STRIKE UNION
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Education,North America,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001988223032023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: School will be back in session on Friday (March 24) for 420,000 Los Angeles students after a three-day strike by education workers disrupted classes and social services in the second-largest school district in the United States.
    The Los Angeles Unified School District and the Service Employees International Union Local 99 failed to reach an agreement during the work stoppage, which ended on Thursday (March 23) with another day of picketing and rallies by striking bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and other low-wage earners.
    Some 30,000 workers, backed by 35,000 unionized teachers who honored their picket line, walked off the job on Tuesday seeking an increase to what they call poverty wages averaging $25,000 per year.
    The work stoppage was the latest in a series of job actions by educators across the United States who have complained of burnout and low wages, leading to a teacher shortage in many parts of the country.
    "We're three days in and I'm willing to do some more (strike) days if we have to," said Tiffany Barba, a special education assistant and one of the thousands who attended a closing rally on Thursday at Los Angeles State Historic Park.
    Many workers anticipated an agreement might be announced at the rally but no such news was released.
    "It's a long process. We don't want to sign something that we might regret later," said Orasio Morales, a driver and union shop steward.
    The union was demanding a 30% salary increase plus an additional $2 per hour for the lowest-paid workers, the Los Angeles Times reported.
    L.A. schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who acknowledged workers have been underpaid for years, told reporters on Monday (March 20) the district had offered a 23% raise plus a 3% bonus.
    (Production: Sandra Stojanovic, Jorge Garcia)
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